---
title: "Check whether a vessel needs a load line certificate"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/maritime-shipping-and-transport/check-whether-a-domestic-commercial-vessel-needs-a-load-line-certificate/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A37-NE20261022-11-US"
practice_area: "Maritime, Shipping & Transport"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Check whether a vessel needs a load line certificate

> From the vessel record and the certificate file, mark the length, whether the papers describe a fishing vessel and any build date, whether the voyage is a domestic voyage that does not cross the Boundary Line, whether…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/maritime-shipping-and-transport/check-whether-a-domestic-commercial-vessel-needs-a-load-line-certificate/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Maritime, Shipping & Transport](https://ailawframework.com/practice/maritime-shipping-and-transport.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | From the vessel record and the certificate file, mark the length, whether the papers describe a fishing vessel and any build date, whether the voyage is a domestic voyage that does not cross the Boundary Line, whether the vessel is a small passenger vessel on a domestic voyage, whether a load line certificate is on the file, and any expiry printed on it. Do not decide that the chapter applies. |
| What the lawyer must review | Section 5102(a) lists the vessels to which chapter 51 applies. Subsection (b) then excludes, among other vessels, a fishing vessel unless it was built after July 1, 2013, a vessel of the United States on a domestic voyage that does not cross the Boundary Line except a Great Lakes voyage, a vessel of less than 24 meters (79 feet) overall, and a small passenger vessel on a domestic voyage. The rest of subsection (b) was opened and you apply it. Subsection (c) lets the Secretary assign load lines to an excluded vessel on application after a survey, and that vessel stays subject to the chapter until its certificate is surrendered and the marks are removed. Section 5103(a) says a vessel may be operated only if it has been assigned load lines. The revision note limits that sentence to a vessel subject to the chapter. Subsection (c) of section 5103 is the alternate program for a fishing vessel built on or before July 1, 2013 that undergoes a major conversion completed after the later of that date or the date the Secretary establishes the standards. Section 5106 requires a load line certificate when the survey is satisfactory and the marks are correct, maintained as the Secretary requires. You decide whether this vessel must hold the certificate and whether it may keep operating. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Check whether a domestic commercial vessel needs a load line certificate](https://ailawframework.com/practice/maritime-shipping-and-transport/check-whether-a-domestic-commercial-vessel-needs-a-load-line-certificate.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: From the vessel record and the certificate file, mark the length, whether the papers describe a fishing vessel and any build date, whether the voyage is a domestic voyage that does not cross the Boundary Line, whether the vessel is a small passenger vessel on a domestic voyage, whether a load line certificate is on the file, and any expiry printed on it. Do not decide that the chapter applies.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- The Boundary Line and the definition of a small passenger vessel were not opened.
- Do not use an Australian smooth-water test. The opened domestic exclusions are section 5102(b)(6) and (b)(11).

## Sources

- [46 USC section 5102 (application of the load-line chapter)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/5102) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [46 USC section 5103 (load line requirements)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/5103) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [46 USC section 5106 (load line certificate)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/5106) (checked 2026-10-22)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*